Oceanside schools continue reduced-price meals program

OCEANSIDE —— Starting with the first day of school on Monday,
the Oceanside Unified School District will continue providing free
meals to students who qualify for reduced-price breakfast and
lunch.

The district piloted this extended free-lunch program last
spring to help struggling families cover the costs of food and to
increase the number of students who eat breakfast and lunch in
school cafeterias each day.

After seeing up to a 50 percent increase in the number of
students eating the free meals, the district decided to continue
the program.

A reduced-price meal costs 40 cents. Officials said a
combination of federal funding and cafeteria revenues from students
paying for snacks and lunches will help absorb the costs of waiving
the reduced-price lunch bill.

To qualify for the program, families must meet federal free and
reduced-price lunch guidelines, available at local campuses, and
apply through their child's school.

Roughly half of the district's 21,300 students' families meet
the guidelines —— based on income and family size —— and are
eligible for either free or reduced-price lunches.